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2 Chronicles 5

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

 NASB  NKJV  NRSV  TEV   NJB
(LXX versing)
The Ark is Brought Into the Temple Bring the Ark of the Covenant Into the Temple
5:1 The Ark Brought Into the Temple 5:1 The Covenant Box Is Brought to the Temple The Ark Is Brought to the Temple
5:2-10 5:2-10 5:2-10 5:2-10 5:2-5
5:6-10
The Glory Of God Fills the Temple The Glory of the Lord The Lord Takes Possession of His Temple
5:11-14 5:11-6:2
 (13c)
 (6:1-2)		 5:11-6:2
 (13c)		 5:11-14
 (13c)		 5:11-6:2

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

  1. First paragraph
  2. Second paragraph
  3. Etc.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 5:1
  1Thus all the work that Solomon performed for the house of the Lord was finished. And Solomon brought in the things that David his father had dedicated, even the silver and the gold and all the utensils, and put them in the treasuries of the house of God.

5:1 David was very involved in the preparations related to the Temple.

  1. helped design the plans
  2. gathered much of the materials; David dedicated much of the precious metals of his military victories to the future temple (cf. 1 Chr. 18:8,10-11; 22:14; 26:26; 29:2-5)
  3. put up a new tent in Jerusalem to temporarily house the ark (cf. 1 Chr. 15:1-16:6)
  4. David may have already made some temple utensils (cf. 1 Kgs. 7:51)

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 5:2-10
  2Then Solomon assembled to Jerusalem the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the fathers' households of the sons of Israel, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion. 3All the men of Israel assembled themselves to the king at the feast, that is in the seventh month. 4Then all the elders of Israel came, and the Levites took up the ark. 5They brought up the ark and the tent of meeting and all the holy utensils which were in the tent; the Levitical priests brought them up. 6And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him before the ark, were sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. 7Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the house, to the holy of holies, under the wings of the cherubim. 8For the cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim made a covering over the ark and its poles. 9The poles were so long that the ends of the poles of the ark could be seen in front of the inner sanctuary, but they could not be seen outside; and they are there to this day. 10There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets which Moses put there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the sons of Israel, when they came out of Egypt.

5:2 Notice the different levels of leadership.

  1. the elders of Israel
  2. the heads of the tribes
  3. the leaders of the fathers' households

One wonders if these designations refer to one, two, or three distinct groups.

SPECIAL TOPIC: ELDERS

"the ark of the covenant" See SPECIAL TOPIC: THE ARK OF THE COVENANT.

"the city of David, which is Zion" See SPECIAL TOPIC: MORIAH, SALEM, JEBUS, ZION, JERUSALEM.

Sometimes this phrase refers to the village of David's birth, but here to the captured fortress of Jebus, which David made his headquarters (i.e., 2 Sam. 5:7; 6:12,16; 1 Kgs. 2:10.

5:3 "in the seventh month" The parallel in 1 Kgs. 8:2 specifically names the Canaanite month "Ethanim," which was September ‒ October. In Hebrew this month was called Tishri.

SPECIAL TOPIC: FEASTS OF ISRAEL

SPECIAL TOPIC: ANE CALENDARS

5:4-5 "the Levites took up the ark" This is the proper way to move the ark, as David found out (cf. 2 Samuel 6; 1 Chr. 15:2). In 1 Kgs. 8:2 it is the priests who carried the ark. In post-exilic Judah, no distinction is made between priests and Levites.

5:5 "the tent of meeting" This could refer to

  1. what was left of the tabernacle of Moses, which was at Gibeon (cf. 1 Chr. 16:37-43; 2 Chr. 1:3)
  2. the new tent that David made for the ark when he brought it to Jerusalem (cf. 1 Chr. 16:1)

Somewhere in the new temple, the old tent of the wilderness (i.e., the tabernacle) was

  1. stored
  2. set up

"the Levitical priests" Some ancient versions (i.e., LXX, Peshitta, Vulgate) have "the priests and the Levites." The Chronicler may have been a Levite. They are often mentioned. In 2 Chr. 5:12 they wear the same outfit as the priests (i.e., linen). See Roland deVaux, Ancient Israel, "The Levites in the Work of the Chronicler," pp. 390-394.

SPECIAL TOPIC: LEVITICAL PRIESTS

5:6 This huge number of sacrifices (cf. 2 Chr. 7:4-7) was matched by the participation of all the priests (cf. 2 Chr. 5:11; 1 Kgs. 8:5) regardless of which family or division (i.e., 1 Chronicles 24). These divisions were done under David's leadership and direction.

5:7 "the inner sanctuary" This is the Hebrew word that meant (#2 possibly from Arabic root, "back")

  1. to speak (BDB 180, verb)
  2. innermost room (BDB 184 I, noun)

It was from between the wings of the cherubim on the lid of the ark that YHWH dwelt and spoke from (Exod. 25:22). Number 2 is the best option. See full note at 2 Chr. 3:16.

"the holy of holies" This was the most inner room, a perfect cube, in which the ark dwelt.

SPECIAL TOPIC: TABERNACLE (chart)

"the wings of the cherubim" See SPECIAL TOPIC: CHERUBIM.

5:8 Apparently in Solomon's temple there were two sets of these angel guardians.

  1. two large pairs that faced toward the altar of sacrifice; they filled the entire inner room
  2. two smaller ones on the lid of the ark, facing inward

5:9 This is eyewitness detail. The author was a priest and had seen this or had interviewed a priest (cf. 1 Kgs. 8:8).

The AB, p. 27, asserts that the ark (i.e., the poles) was gone at the time the author/editor/compiler wrote.

"they are there to this day" This is a literary marker of a later author/editor/compiler (cf. 1 Kgs. 8:8; 1 Chr. 4:41,43; 5:26; 13:11; 17:5; 2 Chr. 8:8; 10:19; 20:26; 21:10; 35:25).

5:10 At this point in time the ark (a small box) contained only the Ten Commandments (cf. 1 Kgs. 8:9). Deuteronomy 10:2-5 lists two items which were originally kept in the box, or next to the box (i.e., Exod. 16:32-34 says some items were placed before the ark, not in it).

  1. earlier form of the two stone tablets, broken by Moses
  2. the second two stone tablets (cf. Exod. 31:18; 32:15; Deut. 9:9,11,15; Josephus, Antiq. 3.6.5)

Hebrews 9:4 lists several more items.

  1. jar of manna (i.e., Exod. 16:31-34)
  2. Aaron's rod that budded (i.e., Num. 17:10)
  3. stone tablets of the Ten Commandments

It is possible these items were lost or destroyed when the Philistines captured the ark (i.e., 1 Samuel 4).

SPECIAL TOPIC: ARK OF THE COVENANT

"Horeb" Horeb is a Hebrew name. See full note online at Exod. 3:1. See Special Topic: The Location of Mount Sinai.

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE LOCATION OF MT. SINAI

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 5:11-14
  11When the priests came forth from the holy place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without regard to divisions), 12and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and kinsmen, clothed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps and lyres, standing east of the altar, and with them one hundred and twenty priests blowing trumpets 13in unison when the trumpeters and the singers were to make themselves heard with one voice to praise and to glorify the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice accompanied by trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and when they praised the Lord saying, "He indeed is good for His lovingkindness is everlasting," then the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, 14so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.

5:11 "the holy place" This is the outer room of the shrine. It was twice as big as the holy of holies and contained

  1. the golden altar of incense
  2. the lampstand
  3. the table of showbread

SPECIAL TOPIC: ALTAR OF INCENSE

SPECIAL TOPIC: LAMPSTAND

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE SHOW BREAD OF THE PRESENCE

"divisions" See note at 2 Chr. 5:6 and 1 Chronicles 24.

5:12 "all the Levitical singers" See notes at 1 Chronicles 25.

"linen" See SPECIAL TOPIC: LINEN.

"trumpets" See SPECIAL TOPIC: HORNS USED BY ISRAEL.

5:13 "He indeed is good" This is Israel's faith affirmation (cf. 1 Chr. 16:34; 2 Chr. 7:3; Ezra 3:11; Ps. 100:5; 106:1; 107:1; 136:1; Jer. 33:11).

SPECIAL TOPIC: CHARACTERISTICS OF ISRAEL'S GOD (OT)

"His lovingkindness is everlasting" See SPECIAL TOPIC: LOVINGKINDNESS (hesed) and SPECIAL TOPIC: FOREVER ('olam).

"a cloud" This was the special cloud that physically showed YHWH's presence (i.e., Lev. 16:2). It is often called "the Shekinah glory."

  1. first present during the flight from Egypt (i.e., Exod. 13:21; 14:19,24)
  2. there at the giving of the Law (Exod. 19:2-3)
  3. appeared when YHWH talked to Moses (i.e., Exod. 19:9; 33:9-10)
  4. guided and protected Israel in the wilderness (Exod. 40:34-38; Num. 19:17-23)
  5. ceased when Israel crossed Jordan into Canaan (Josh. 5:12)
  6. filled Solomon's temple, 1 Kgs. 8:11 (i.e., showing YHWH's acceptance)
  7. the cloud as a symbol of YHWH's presence leaves the temple in Ezek. 10:3-4

See full note at Exod. 13:21.

There is a good brief discussion in Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, p. 157.

SPECIAL TOPIC: COMING ON THE CLOUDS

5:14 "the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud" This is an allusion to Exod. 40:35. This new temple was accepted by YHWH the same way as the tabernacle (cf. 1 Kgs. 8:10-11; 2 Chr. 7:2).

The INFINITIVE "minister" (BDB 1058, KB 1661, Piel INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT) refers to the music and liturgy of 2 Chr. 5:13.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

  1. In what ways did David prepare for the temple he wanted to build (cf. 2 Samuel 7)?
  2. To which city does "the city of David" refer in 2 Chr. 5:2?
  3. To what "tent" does 2 Chr. 5:5 refer?
  4. Why does the last phrase of 2 Chr. 5:9 imply a post-exilic author?
  5. Why are 2 Chr. 5:10 and Hebrews 9:4 different?
  6. What is the "glory of the Lord"?

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